Disposable absorbent articles for receiving and retaining bodily discharges such as urine or feces are generally known in the art. Examples of these include disposable diapers, training pants and adult incontinence articles. Typically, disposable diapers comprise a liquid pervious topsheet that faces the wearer's body, a liquid impervious backsheet that faces the wearer's clothing and an absorbent core interposed between the liquid pervious topsheet and the backsheet.
Since their introduction into the market place, disposable diapers have continued to improve regarding comfort, fit and functionalities.
An important component of disposable absorbent articles is the absorbent core structure. The absorbent core structure typically includes absorbent polymer material, such as hydrogel-forming polymer material, also referred to as absorbent gelling material, AGM, or super-absorbent polymer, SAP. This absorbent polymer material ensures that large amounts of bodily fluids, e.g. urine, can be absorbed by the absorbent article during its use and be locked away, thus providing low rewet and good skin dryness.
Traditionally, the absorbent polymer material is incorporated into the absorbent core structure with cellulose or cellulosic fibres. However, over the past years, significant effort has been spent to make thinner absorbent core structures which can still acquire and store large quantities of discharged body fluids, in particular urine. Hereto, it has been proposed to reduce or eliminate these cellulose fibres from the absorbent core structures. To maintain the mechanical stability of the absorbent core structures, small quantities of a fiberized net structure may be added to stabilize the absorbent polymer material. To reduce stiffness in the absorbent core, the core may also comprise channels, areas substantially free of absorbent polymer particles or absorbent polymer material. The channels provide improved liquid transport, and hence faster acquisition, and more efficient liquid absorbency over the whole absorbent structure.
One consequence of thinner and denser core structures and channels is that the reduced void volume results in higher total expansion of the absorbent core with the consequence that the forces exerted on the core seals upon swelling of the absorbent cores are increased compared to conventional absorbent cores. Thus, there is a need to improve the bond strength of the core end seals and the channel seals. Additionally, there is a need for core adhesives and materials that can form fiberized net structures that can promote the stability of the absorbent polymer material, such as through formation of a less dense net structure, while still providing strength.
Accordingly, there is a need to improve the bond strength of the core and channel seals, and to provide greater stability of the core integrity.